Tracers, time scales, and the thermohaline circulation: The lower limb in the North Atlantic Ocean

Rana A. Fine

Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Florida

• 1. Introduction
  • 1.1. Conveyor Belt and the Thermohaline Circulation
  • 1.2. Deep Western Boundary Current
  • 1.3. Relationship of the Ocean Circulation to Climate
• 2. Review
  • 2.1. Transient Tracers
    • 2.1.1. Tritium.
    • 2.1.2. Chlorofluorocarbons.
  • 2.2. Tracer Time Scales
  • 2.3. North Atlantic Deep Water Components
  • 2.4. Tracer Observations
    • 2.4.1. Regional studies of the DWBC.
    • 2.4.1.1. The tropics:
    • 2.4.1.2. The subtropics:
    • 2.4.1.3. The subpolar region:
    • 2.4.2. Larger scale studies.
    • 2.4.3. Time series.
    • 2.4.4. Interpretation of tracer ages.
• 3. Future Directions and Conclusions
  • 3.1. Applied Science
  • 3.2. Implementation
  • 3.3. Conclusions
• References